


Fragility

by turkstories



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: M/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:55:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26427481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turkstories/pseuds/turkstories
Summary: A moment in time for Rufus ShinRa
Relationships: Reno/Rufus Shinra
Kudos: 11





	Fragility

“I hate seeing you so _fragile_.”

Until this moment, the only person who had ever called Rufus fragile - to his face - was his late father, and it had been spat out in a disgusted, pejorative, insulting manner. Not so with Reno. Reno sounded genuinely sorrowful. Hurt, even, as though he, himself, bore Rufus’ agony. 

“Preposterous,” Rufus replied, dismissing the concern with a wave of his hand. “It will take more than this to diminish my power.” Strong words, confidently spoken but lacking sincerity. Truth be told, Rufus _felt_ fragile, but the first step in surrendering to this illness was to acknowledge how it affected him and Rufus wasn’t planning on doing that any time soon.   
Hours later, Reno’s words still stung, leaving Rufus with an uncomfortable gnawing in the pit of his stomach. It had been weeks now since Reno last touched him, and while Rufus was not a man who craved any sort of affection, the absence of it was acutely felt. There were a multitude of legitimate reasons Reno could have for not wanting to touch Rufus, including a fear of contagion or cross-contamination. Even revulsion was more acceptable a justification than the truth. 

Reno was scared of hurting Rufus, and with just cause. Every nerve ending felt like it was on fire, painful all the time and even the sensation of fabric against his skin was enough to bring tears to Rufus’ eyes on occasion. Were the roles reversed, would Rufus show Reno the same compassion? Or would be be his usual demanding self, uncaring about how it would effect Reno? 

The honest answer to that question left the acrid taste of bile at the back of Rufus’ throat.


End file.
